From here, Francisco Fungone sprouted, flourished then chafed, and finally did what many young Italians stifled by small town mentalities and lack of economic opportunity did - he left, for America, 1912. When a resident asked my then 60-something mother who she knew in Spinazzola, he was confused when he heard that it was her father who left, nearly a hundred years ago. We unpuzzled him by explaining that my mom dyes her hair and is nearly 70 and her father was almost 50 years older than her. Thus, the huge gap in years. And so much more.